The Unexpected is Sometimes Expected
by silent-fury
Summary: Harry's 5th year, and it isn't a happy one


The Unexpected, is sometimes expected  
  
Chapter 1  
  
It was an unusually dark night as the first drops of rain fell on the street of Privet Drive, slowly with small droplets at first but getting heavier by the minute. The rain was not unexpected. They had seen over a week of glorious sunshine, and in England, weather doesn't stay the same for very long. In the distance, the first low rumble of thunder was heard. It was fairly quiet, and no lightning could be seen yet, but gradually, the rumbles got louder.  
  
Privet Drive was a very normal street, with very normal people living on it, or at least, that is what the residents believed. Living at number 4 Privet Drive for the summer holidays, was Harry Potter.  
  
Harry Potter was a very unusual boy in many ways. First and foremost, he was a wizard, but even for a wizard, he was still unusual. Harry Potter was the only person ever to survive after the greatest dark wizard there ever was, Lord Voldemort, had decided to kill them, and for this reason alone, he was completely unique.  
  
Harry had only been a small baby when Voldemort had turned up at his house, in Godric's Hollow. Voldemort had proceeded to kill Harry's mother and father, Lily and James Potter, who were both fully trained in magic. Then he had turned his wand on the vulnerable baby Harry, for him to meet the same ghastly end as his parents. Yet when Lord Voldemort had tried to curse him with the same curse that had disposed of so many witches and wizards, the curse had backfired onto Voldemort. Barely alive and powerless, Voldemort had fled leaving Harry with a scar on his forehead, which was shaped like a bolt of lightning.  
  
If things had stayed that way, Harry Potter's life would be much less dangerous, and much simpler. Unfortunately, things did not work out that way. It all happened in Harry's previous year at school. Hogwarts was holding a competition called the "Tri-Wizard Tournament" and somehow, Harry had been entered into it, even though there had been an age restriction on entering. At the end of the last task, Harry had found out the dreadful truth of the reason he was entered. Voldemort's "right hand man", a young man by the name of Barty Crouch, had entered his name in, and made sure Harry won the competition, so that when Harry touched the Tri-Wizard cup, he would be transported to Voldemort himself, where Harry's blood would help to restore the dark lord, back to full health.  
  
What Voldemort had not expected though, was for Harry and another Hogwarts student to come. This other student, a seventh year called Cedric Diggory, was killed almost immediately, leaving Harry and a newly risen Voldemort to duel. Harry had just managed to escape back to Hogwarts with his life, and Cedric's body. Even though Cedric's death and Voldemort's rising had caused many people to worry for their lives, Dumbledore had sent Harry back to Privet Drive for the summer. He thought that it was the safest place for him. Harry wasn't sure why, and he certainly didn't agree, but did what Dumbledore said and went back to his horrible place at 4 privet drive. Along with Harry in Privet Drive were usually the Dursley family; Aunt Petunia, Uncle Vernon, and Dudley - Harry's cousin, who had the build of a pot-bellied pig, who needed to go on a diet. This night however, only Uncle Vernon was in the house with Harry.  
  
Aunt Petunia, who was Lily Potter's sister, was away in Devon along with the rest of the Ladies group she was involved in, on a sight seeing trip. The name of the trip - "Keep Your Eyes Open" had greatly amused Harry, who was convinced that the group was made up of the nosiest people in Surrey, after all, with all the looking into other people's gardens and peering out of the window that Aunt Petunia did, it was no surprise that she was in the group.  
  
Dudley was at Alton Towers, a very large theme park, with a hotel attached onto it. He had been paid to go on an all expenses paid trip there, for the weekend, with 3 of his friends for his birthday. Harry had not been invited. This had come as no great shock to Harry, who even if he was invited, he wouldn't have gone anyway; in fact, he was quite enjoying his time at Privet Drive without him. Harry was finding that having the freedom of the television, and eating what he wanted for tea, instead of the "rabbit food diet" that Dudley had been forced to go on; was a very nice luxury to have. Harry had been asleep for a good few hours before Hedwig, his owl, came soaring in through his window, which had been left open for her. Even though it was raining outside, the temperature was quite high, and Harry found that if he didn't leave his window open, he would have to get up if Hedwig needed to come in during the night, and also his room would be uncomfortably stuffy in the morning.  
  
Hedwig had with her an envelope, which she dropped on Harry's bedside table in readiness for when he woke up. She fluffed her feathers, looking pleased with herself, then flew over to her cage for a drink.  
  
Harry was having a wonderful dream. He was in his fifth year at Hogwarts, and had been picked to be the captain for the Gryffindor Quidditch team. Hermione Granger, one of Harry's best friends was a prefect, and Ron Weasley, Harry's other best friend was the Gryffindor keeper, and Gryffindor had just beaten Slytherin in the Quidditch cup final, which got their arch rival - Draco Malfoy kicked off the Slytherin team.  
  
Harry's dream would have continued to be wonderful, if it wasn't for the very end of it. Draco had pulled off a mask, and instead of who they thought was Draco Malfoy, was actually Lord Voldemort in disguise, who had then raised his wand, and was about to strike Harry, Ron and Hermione down, one final time.  
  
Just at that moment, a bright flash of lightning filled the sky with an eerie glow, and a great role of thunder made the panes of glass in Harry's room rattle in their frames, and Harry Potter woke with a start, the scar on his forehead tingling with pain. 


End file.
